Syber News

It's something that was promised a year ago when the iPhone 3G debuted (and it was promised to be delivered in a relatively short timeframe, as well), but its only now being tested: push notifications, Apple's solution to (sort of) background processing without harming battery life. In doing so, they're enlisting the aid of developers.

To recap, the idea is that rather than having apps run in the background, a notification from Apple's push notification servers will let a user know when to launch an app to view new information. Notifications can be in the form of badges, sounds or custom textual alerts. Naturally, a user can just dismiss the alert. This should save battery life, according to apple. An example of a use case might be an IM application.

Obviously, if the servers can't handle the load, Apple will be in a heap of trouble. Thus, Apple has selected AP's news app for stress testing its push notification servers. In an email to developers, Apple has asked for testing help:

As a developer actively working with iPhone OS 3.0 beta, we would like your help in testing the Apple Push Notification service. We have selected a pre-release version of the Associated Press app for iPhone OS 3.0 to create a high-volume test environment for our servers.

To participate, we ask that you follow these steps:

1. Download the pre-release version of the Associated Press app for iPhone OS 3.0 from the iTunes Store via your desktop by entering this unique redemption code in the 'Redeem' section of iTunes, found under the 'Quick Links' section:

[redacted]

This unique redemption code and the functionality of the application will expire in seven days.

2. Install the application on a development device running iPhone OS 3.0 beta 5 by synching it to iTunes. Make sure to accept notifications when prompted after installation. This application can only be installed on devices running iPhone OS 3.0 beta 5.

3. When you first run the app, choose U.S. English as your region when prompted. The U.S. English region will receive alerts, the Canadian English region will not. For purposes of the test, AP will be sending a high-volume of real news alerts.

4. If you do not receive notifications from the app within 48 hours after installation, let us know.

Anyone who's tried to download some high-profile item like, say, Windows 7 Beta knows that servers can be overloaded, and fail. Apple obviously would not want such an even to happen, but one need only look back at the fiasco involved in activating iPhone 3Gs last year to know that even Apple isn't beyond server overload.

There's also been some rumors floating around that Apple might allow true (though limited) background processing. While it's also indicated that the 128MB of RAM in the current iPhone might be an issue, it's also true that rumored specs in the new iPhone would double that, pointing perhaps to background processing in the new device, and perhaps not the old.

It would certainly be a differentiating factor that might push people to upgrade, at any rate.